


The Night Team Is Bad At Road Trips

by Adverb_Slut



Category: AFTER LIFE 소원을 담는 만화경 | AFTER LIFE: The Sacred Kaleidoscope (Visual Novel)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Road Trips, nine didn't know that once he died he'd become the mother of three idiotic but sweet boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26223805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adverb_Slut/pseuds/Adverb_Slut
Summary: When the 14th Department Annual Retreat rolls around, the Manager, Nyang Lead Manager, and Sei Housemaster decide to turn the eight-hour drive to the retreat location into a road trip competition to encourage all Soul Reapers' attendance.  The prize?  No cleaning duties for amonth.And there isnoway Nine is letting any of the other teams get even aglimpseat a prizethatwonderous.As the Night Team travels to the retreat location, he begins to realize ... maybe heisthe only one is his team with a braincell.Then again, maybe not.Just some Noctu bonding.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 23





	The Night Team Is Bad At Road Trips

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I wrote this with my Obey Me! fic, "The Purgatory Hall Boys Are Bad At Road Trips" in mind, but _sigh_ , I'm not as satisfied with this one as the other. I hope it still is entertaining enough to read, though!
> 
> Also, I know that there's no "Hour 4" section. It's because I was too lazy to write it, and I figured the early hours when Nine drove, it was so peaceful that nothing interesting happened!
> 
> **As always, feedback is appreciated!**

**Hour 0**

Our story begins inside the Noctu Team Dorm, in the bedroom of Nine and Day, where the human puppy of the two Soul Reapers ransacked the room in search of the last few belongings that he needed to pack for him and his team’s trip to the Purification Plains for the 14th Department Annual Retreat. 

The 14th Department Annual Retreat was a favorite of Nyang Lead Manager’s, as the destination point—the Purification Plains—was a place where all Soul Reapers could rest and relax and take time to remind themselves of the true meaning of Purifying vengeful spirits (of course, many suspected that the lake brimming with fish was actually the real allure for the fussy feline). 

He, Sei Housemaster, and the Manager had already gone ahead two days earlier to get things set up for the rest of the 14th Department, and, to encourage the Soul Reapers to attend the retreat as soon as possible, had set up the days prior to the actual event as a competition to see which Reaper Team could travel the eight hours to the Purification Plains the fastest. The winning team was exempt from all Soul Reaper cleaning duties for an entire _month_. 

And oh, how Nine _craved_ that one month of complete freedom.

Yet, he could feel a muscle in his left eye twitch, as he watched his roommate (who had decided that five minutes before their departure was the most opportune time to pack) scramble around the room for his remaining shirts and pants and hair ties and candy and snacks and pretty rocks and shiny beetles and mini elephant figurines and all manner of fidget toys to play with. 

Noctu was, by some stroke of misfortune, the last team to leave for the day (even Mane—who had _Jamie_ , the supposed slowest Soul Reaper in all of _existence—_ had left before them), and Nine could slowly feel his grip on the prospect of a month free from all cleaning duties slip away.

Day’s side of the room had always been a mess, and Nine loathed the day when Theo would get a glance at it, but he never bothered the lumbering Soul Reaper about it, because firstly, it was too much trouble, and secondly, even in all the chaos, _Day_ seemed to know where everything was. 

Or so it had appeared.

“Nine-Nine, Nine-Nine, I can’t find my favorite jacket!”

“I believe it’s on top of your chair, Mr. Day.”

“Nine-Nine! My hair ties are all gone! Tachi-Tachi made them for me! What am I going to _do_?”

“Are not the hair ties Aitachi gave you the ones on your wrist, Mr. Day?”

“Wow! Can I show you the really sparkly flower I found under my bed, Nine-Nine?”

“Mr. Day, I promise I’ll look at it after you finish packing.”

And so it went for another five minutes before Day declared himself “ready for adventure.” Nine breathed a sigh of relief as he and his roommate grabbed their respective luggage (although Day had offered to carry Nine’s seventeen suitcases for him because he only had one and was “stronger than Nine-Nine!”) and walked into the common space of the Noctu Team Dorm. He prayed that he would find the tribesmen duo of Aitachi and Kirr, all packed and waiting for them, but unfortunately, that was too much to ask for, as the pair were nowhere in sight.

Before Nine could send Day to go looking for them, however, out lumbered both Kirr and Aitachi from their bedroom, each with not a single suitcase in sight, but rather, massive messenger bags slung across their shoulders, Kirr’s made of leather, and Aitachi’s, merino. 

Kirr smiled at the two from across the dorm. “Day, Nine, do not fear: Aitachi and I have packed emergency provisions enough for the both of you.”

“Brother Kirr is right,” replied Aitachi, nodding, and patting his bag. “We will stave off our mighty foe, ‘Malnutrition,’ with all the food that we have!”

Nine shoved down the need to facepalm at the duo and in a composed voice, asked, “Do you two happen to have any clothes packed with all the emergency rations you have in your bags?”

Aitachi and Kirr exchanged confused glances, before the older of the two asked, “Why would we bring a change of clothes if we plan to wash and dry the ones we’re wearing right now in rivers as we blaze our trail to the Plains of Purification?”

“Kirr-Kirr, Tachi-Tachi, that’s so smart!” exclaimed Day, as he made motions to throw out from his own suitcase all his clothes, too.

Nine held a hand out to stop him and swallowed a sigh. “Mr. Kirr, Aitachi, I think it would be greatly beneficial if you two brought several days change of clothes along with all this, as we won’t be doing trailblazing of any sort to the Purification Plains.”

“Oh, that’s right,” realized Day, sadly. “Manager said that everyone is taking a ‘road trip’ there, and we’re supposed to be driving the car that the Department left for us.”

Nine wanted to laugh at the _we’re supposed to be driving the car_ remark, because, due to the fact that he wanted to go on _living_ , there was no way that he was going to let any of the other members of the Night Team drive their Department-sanctioned car.

It wasn’t that he _liked_ driving or even particularly wanted to, but he was one hundred percent certain that up in the cold alpine regions that he had grown up in, the only thing that Kirr had ever driven was a pack of sled dogs; Aitachi was only _fourteen_ and up until yesterday, had assumed that the entire party was to travel by way of horseback; and Day, who he treasured greatly, was … Day. Nine was sure that in the entire time Day had been in the Otherworld, he had yet to pass his driver’s license test and was still patiently nursing his permit. 

But he didn’t have the heart to correct the well-meaning Soul Reaper and nodded. “Mr. Day is right. Our trip shouldn’t take us more than eight hours if we take the car, so you don’t have to worry about washing and drying your clothes on the way there, but you _will_ definitely need a change of outfits when we get to the Retreat, unless … you want Mr. Theo and the other Soul Reapers to keep a twenty-mile radius from you.”

(Was it terrible of him to think that that wasn’t so horrible of a prospect?)

Aitachi valiantly declared, “Mr. Theo’s actions will have no effect on me!” but turned around to his room to pack some clothes, anyway, while Kirr slunk off after him, muttering under his breath, “How inconvenient.”

Nine groaned softly as he and Day followed the pair, because frankly, while Aitachi—who liked to sew his own clothes—had something that resembled style, Kirr believed clothes were simply a troublesome necessity; he didn’t even own anything nicely colored or patterned (“In the forest, it is best for a hunter to wear dark, solid colors to blend in with their surroundings”) and had absolutely no fashion sense at all. And as Nine, who had an appreciation for beauty, refused to let one of his teammates be the bane of anyone with eyes, he felt it his obligation to now ensure that Kirr did _not_ pack everything in the realm of beiges, blacks, and whites for the Retreat.

After several minutes of sorting through Kirr’s clothes and wondering how every item managed to smell so strongly of pine and bramble, Nine deemed the Night Team ready to take on the open road of the Otherworld. 

He herded the group outside of the Department building and toward a clunky black minivan that looked nearly five hundred and thirty-seven SRE years old (he knew the 14th Department was cheap, but _really_?). 

Nine bit back a laugh when he saw Day carefully arranging his lanky arms and legs into the driver’s seat.

“Mr. Day, I believe it would be best if _I_ did all the driving.”

Day looked surprised. “Nine-Nine, that’s not fair to you. We need to take turns!”

“Brother Day is right! As warriors, we must all learn to share the burden,” said Aitachi.

Kirr nodded gravely. “It is not possible for one hunter to take up all the shifts in a single season and succeed.”

Nine didn’t know what to say to _that_ , but as he definitely wasn’t going to let the rest of the team drive, he decided to politely allay their concerns by saying, “In the Otherworld, you need to have a license to drive.”

This seemed to satisfy both Kirr and Aitachi—although he suspected that that was because neither of them was familiar with what driver’s licenses _were_ —but Day surprised him by pulling out a glistening card from his pocket. “Ta-da! Look, I have a license, too! Manager went with me to go get it last week!”

He felt his stomach sink as he slunk toward the front passenger seat and said, “Ah, excellent work, Mr. Day. Let’s you and I take two-hour shifts, then.”

Nine sighed as Day revved up the engine and cheered, “Yay! Let’s go, Night Team!” 

He was going to die for a second time, wasn’t he?

* * *

**Hour 1**

“Nine-Nine, Tachi-Tachi, Kirr-Kirr! Do you guys mind if I play some music?” asked Day, who, although had proven in the past fifteen minutes to be a moderately competent driver (He had only almost crashed _three_ times! A new low record!), was now completely turned around to address the two of his team members that were seated in the back passenger seats.

Kirr looked mildly concerned because as a hunter, he was used to and greatly appreciated the silence, and had regarded the quietness of the group in the strange vehicle known as “a car” as a kind of comfort. However, he assented with a stoic “No,” when he noticed the disconcerted expression that Day, who enjoyed silence as much as any exuberant puppy, wore. 

“I have no objection!” assured Aitachi, who was curious as to _how_ Brother Day intended to play a musical instrument when he was busy using both of his hands to operate the “car” machine that they were currently in.

It wasn’t that Nine _didn’t_ appreciate Day’s choice of music—it was just that he knew that all the songs on the tall Soul Reaper’s Otherworldify travel playlist were either super sweet bubblegum pop or some kind of holy music in another language with lots and _lots_ of sitar. As it turned out, he, like Kirr, was a slave to Day’s melancholy expression and was forced to suffer with a “That’s fine, Mr. Day.” 

Day brightened instantly—it was so _gloomy_ when it was silent—and, taking his eyes off of the road for a few seconds, reached for his cellphone to blast his travel playlist on the car’s speakers.

Nine cringed almost imperceptibly, and Kirr and Aitachi exchanged astonished glances because _where was the music coming from_ (Kirr also privately wondered if the flamboyantly peppy lyrics of the female singer even could be _considered_ music) _?!_

“It must be the work of spirits,” concluded Aitachi, nodding. “Brother Day must have employed them to make these noises!”

“Waaaaah, Tachi-Tachi, it’s not _noise_ —it’s music!” said Day, whose eyes had grown to the size of saucers at the comment. “And hehe, nope, no spirits—the music is coming from these speakers!” He gestured toward their various locations in the car, leaving exactly zero of his fingers on the steering wheel.

Nine nodded and took this opportunity to lower the volume as he elaborated, “Speakers amplify the sounds that pass through them.”

“What an amazing contraption!” cried Aitachi. He turned toward his companion on the right. “Don’t you think so, Brother Kirr?”

Kirr was silent for a few moments before measuredly answering, “It is indeed extraordinary … but will the music not distract you from your task, Day?”

“Don’t worry, Kirr-Kirr!” promised Day, who secretly had to admit that his focus from the road _was_ wavering as he tried to sing along to the songs, but he wasn’t sure if he could stand the silence, again. “I’ll try to stay alert!”

Nine was struck with an idea. “Mr. Day, you have been asking to hear my personal compositions for a long time. Would you like to listen to one now? The classical music will help fill the long silence ahead of us but will allow you to keep your focus.”

Day beamed at the compromise. “Yay! We get to listen to Nine-Nine’s music!”

“Yes, play it, Brother Nine! It is always good to listen to the music of a fellow warrior!” said Aitachi, as Nine opened his own Otherworldify account and began to play an instrumental soft piano melody. 

The group listened for a few moments before Kirr reached forward to lightly press a hand on Nine’s shoulder. His eyes gleamed with praise as he said, “You have true talent, Nine.”

“Yeah, Nine-Nine is the best!” agreed Day, as he felt calm overcome him with the music.

“Brother Nine is a prodigy!” Aitachi said.

Nine smiled softly at the encouragement as he closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat as he, along with the rest of the Night Team, listened to the masterful notes of the first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Number 14.

While he loved Noctu dearly, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to truly show his fellow members his _own_ personal compositions.

Yet.

* * *

**Hour 2**

As it turned out, the car that the 14th Department had given them was a gas guzzler, and at the beginning of the final hour of Day’s shift, Nine had the wits to peep at the fuel gauge—as the driver forgot to—and noticed that they were in dire need of gas, ASAP.

“It looks like we’ll need to refuel,” Nine announced.

Kirr immediately reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a short rope of jerky, handing it to him.

Nine shook his head. “Not _that_ kind of fuel, Mr. Kirr,” he said. He took out his phone and searched for the nearest gas station. “I meant fuel for the car.”

“It can share our jerky if it wants!” assured Aitachi, looking confused. He wished he had remembered to bring carrots or hay, as that was the kind of food he had fed his horse, Tata, in the past, and he assumed this “car” would be more than obliged to consume the same fare, as well.

“I think Nine-Nine means gasoline,” Day said. “That’s what gives cars their energy.”

Kirr grimaced. “I’m afraid Aitachi and I failed to bring that kind of food.” He lowered his head. “We take full responsibility.”

As Aitachi bowed in tandem, Nine’s eyes widened when they both reached for their weapons. “Mr. Kirr, Aitachi, it’s not your fault, truly.” He gestured for them to lower their bows and knives, worrying that it was some kind of custom of both the Cicady and Atiyah tribes to self-mutilate as penance for an offense. “Don’t hurt yourselves, please.”

“Hurt ourselves? No, Brother Nine—Brother Kirr and I were only going to go hunt food for the car, as we didn’t think to bring any 'gasoline' for it!” said Aitachi.

Nine couldn’t hold back his laugh at the pair’s earnestness. “There’s no need. If Mr. Day will take a left here,” he nodded at the driver, who took an uncoordinated turn as instructed, “we’ll arrive at a station where we can fill up our car with gas ad libitum, provided we have the money.”

“Which we do!” Day pat his pockets in satisfaction, but upon remembering that he no longer was a wealthy human being, but rather a penniless Soul Reaper, he turned to Nine and blushed. “Hehe, or I think Nine-Nine does.”

As the car rolled into the gas station, Nine smiled. “That I do, Mr. Day.”

* * *

**Hour 3**

“Night Team, will you be with me as I wage war on Mane?” asked Aitachi abruptly as he rummaged through his messenger bag, his face a shade of red that matched the beads in his hair. 

Nine looked at the youngest of the group through the rearview mirror in concern, as Kirr instantly answered, “We will battle your enemies together, Aitachi.” Nine was driving now, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t the main (read: sole) disciplinarian and voice of reason of his team. “Did something happen?”

“Yes, something _did_ happen, Brother Nine!” Aitachi pouted. “It is a most grievous insult!” He pulled out from his bag an enormous straw sunhat. Around it was a sky-blue ribbon with the words “Aitachi: Cutest Warrior Ever!” embroidered on it. 

Day turned from his seat in the front to survey the commotion. “Tachi-Tachi, that’s so cute!”

“That Mr. Licht snuck it into my bag, I’m sure!” Aitachi shook the large headgear effusively. “He's the only one who would do such a thing!”

Kirr nodded. “We must seek the restitution of Aitachi’s honor against the Morning Team for this affront.” 

“Oh, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea …” mumbled Day, who loathed conflict of any kind. “Licht Bro will just apologize if you ask him.”

“Mr. Day is right,” said Nine. “No waging war of any kind, okay?” He strained his ears to hear the muted mutters of assent from Aitachi and Kirr. “I said, _okay_?” He nodded when the pair agreed louder this time. “Good.” 

He looked at the clock, wondering how far the other teams were ahead of them. Surely no one must’ve reached the Purification Plains yet, else the Manager (or the team itself) would’ve made a post on SNS. He peered in the rearview mirror to see Aitachi unwinding the straw of his new hat in frustration. “How about in order to avenge Aitachi, we do it by beating all the other teams—including Mane—to the retreat?”

Aitachi brightened at the prospect. “What a good idea!” He raised a fist determinedly. “Death to the Morning Team! Drive as fast as you can, Brother Nine!”

“Yay! Let’s win this race, everyone!” cheered Day. 

Kirr bobbed his head. “To the winners go the spoils.”

Nine grinned as he pressed his foot down on the gas pedal. It was nice to see the Night Team come together like this, and for once, despite their extremely late start, Nine believed that they had a chance of winning.

* * *

**Hour 5**

First a nervous smile.

And then a frown.

Another nervous smile.

Another frown.

And then … something that resembled a mixture of both?

These were the expressions that consecutively passed on Day’s face in the two minutes that Nine had watched him out of the corner of his eye.

“Is something the matter, Mr. Day?” he finally had to ask.

Day stuttered, “I—um, no!”

“Brother Day, do not feel as if you need to hide your feelings from us!” boomed Aitachi. “We are all warriors of equal caliber and can speak freely to one another.”

Kirr echoed the thought by saying, “Aitachi is right. There are no secrets between us.”

Day’s face absolutely melted at the kind words. “It’s just that,” he blubbered, “I really have to go to the bathroom and I know we’re on a tight schedule now and I don’t want to be a bother, and, and, and—”

“Mr. Day, there is no shame in needing to relieve yourself.” Nine looked out the window and saw that a rest stop was coming up. “We could all use a break, and look over there—there’s a resting place ahead, so we won’t even have to go out of our way.”

“Th—thanks for saying that, Nine-Nine,” sniffled Day, rubbing his watery eyes, as he pulled the car into the shelter that Nine had pointed out.

As soon as the vehicle came to a sudden stop (à la Day’s masterful parking skills), the party mosied out of the confining space of the car and into the open expanse of the rest stop.

Day sprinted to the bathroom shelter upon their arrival and Kirr began to stretch his muscles, much to the excitement of the flock of girls who stared nearby.

Nine followed Aitachi, who had smelled water and had grabbed Licht’s hat with every intention of throwing it into whatever body of water larger than a puddle that appeared. 

The younger boy saw Nine shadowing him and, as he came upon the lake which he had sensed, turned to the older Reaper and said quietly, “Brother Nine, you probably think I am being wasteful by casting such a finely-crafted piece of apparel away.” He sighed and held the hat over the water. “But I am a warrior and worked hard to be recognized as one in my tribe—it's disheartening to know that many in the 14th Department don’t see me as one simply because of my appearance.”

Nine shook his head. “I don’t think that way at all.” He himself loathed his own beauty and the other Reapers’ constant mention of it. In that moment, he felt a kind of kinship with Aitachi, for they both hated what they saw in the mirror. He pulled the younger Soul Reaper closer to the lake until they both could see their reflections in it. “You are more than your appearance, Aitachi. Us on the Night Team know that, but if the Reapers on the other teams need a reminder, we will make sure they get one.”

With that, he guided Aitachi’s hands farther above the water and gestured for him to let the hat go. They both released a cathartic sigh as the ripples in the wake of its tumble down to the depths of the lake marred their reflections in the water.

* * *

**Hour 6**

“Is that the Evening Team?” asked Kirr as Day’s haphazard driving sped them past a field of fruit trees. He was sure that his keen eyes had spotted Noah, Sian, Kati, and Cyrille lounging under several boughs, each munching lazily on an armful of apples. 

He watched—mildly amused—that upon noticing that the car that blazed past them was indeed of the 14th Department and belonged to the Night Team (whose car had a vanity license plate that read “NOCTU”), no less, Hesperide dropped all the fruit they had been eating and looked at the passing faces of Day and Aitachi—who were sitting in the seats by the windows facing them—in shock. 

Nine smiled. “That _is_ the Evening Team. And if I’m remembering correctly, they were the first to leave?” 

“Yep, yep!” said Day. “I remember because Little One was in a mood and told me to go away because I offered to get a suitcase that was too high for him to reach! He told me my height wouldn’t matter in the end because Hesperide was going to leave first, and by Brother Cyrille’s calculations, that means they would _get_ there first, too!”

Aitachi clapped his hands eagerly. “They must have thought that their leaving early meant they could take long breaks. A true warrior knows never to be so unguarded!”

“It looks like they are already on our tails, nevertheless,” observed Kirr, who was still peering behind them at the Evening Team. “They are fast like rabbits.”

“They’re already in their car?” asked Nine wearily. Hadn’t they _just_ seen them maybe two minutes ago? Could they already be following them on the road? He peeked into the rearview mirror in confusion. There were no cars behind them for several yards—just how good was Kirr’s eyesight?

Kirr squinted, but he could still definitely make out Sian’s pink hair and Kati’s angry fist at least one mile behind them. “They have not mounted their vehicle, yet. They’re putting all their apples into some kind of compartment in the rear.” As a hunter, he could gauge the distance and time it would take for them to catch up to the Night Team car in an instant. “I have an idea.”

“What is it, Brother Kirr?” Aitachi asked eagerly.

Kirr looked at his companions. “Let us set a trap for Hesperide to throw them off their course—and any other team that follows this path.”

“That is,” said Nine, “an excellent idea, Mr. Kirr. Do you have any plans on what to do?”

“Normally I would suggest setting several snares to capture our prey, but as I believe Manager would be angry if the Evening Team was killed, I advise we set up a distraction that the other teams cannot refuse.” He peered ahead with his sharp eyes and discerned a road marker that read:

Route 14 — Keep Right

Route 24 — Straight Ahead

If he was remembering the extremely long lectures Nine had given the group regarding the many winding roads of the Otherworld and how keeping on Route 14 would lead them straight to the Purification Plains, going on a different route would surely set one astray. “Perhaps we should change the directions on that sign up ahead.” 

“Waaaaah, Kirr-Kirr, I don’t see any signs!” complained Day as he and the rest of the Night Team failed to see ahead what was so clear to the eagle-eyed hunter. 

“There is one,” he assured them. “If Day were to move this vehicle with great speed, then we would be able to make it to the sign two minutes before the Evening Team. In that time, we must rewrite the directions on it. At present, it reads, ‘Route Fourteen, keep right, and Route Twenty-Four, straight ahead.”

“We will write ‘Route _Fourteen_ , straight ahead, and Route _Twenty-Four_ , keep right’ instead, then!” realized Aitachi. Out from his messenger bag, he pulled several sticks of colored wax and lumps of coal, which he sometimes used to color pictures with—even though he _insisted_ they were for the purpose of marking trees so one wouldn’t get lost in the woods. “We can use these to rewrite the sign.”

And so that’s what they did.

Kirr’s estimation in how much time they would have to alter the road sign was correct, and the short time span caused their work to be rather shoddy, even though Nine’s beautiful calligraphy remedied it a little.

As they drove off, Nine bit his lip and said, “They won’t expect sabotage, so I hope they think that the mistakes in the sign were simply due to an error on the signmaker’s part.”

“‘Sabotage’ doesn’t sound very good, Nine-Nine,” said Day, who looked a tad bit queasy at the prospect.

Nine smiled benignly. “Surely Manager expects a little healthy competitiveness in this contest.”

* * *

**Hour 7**

“Hm-♪-hm-♪, doesn’t everyone else think it’s funny that the only team we’ve seen in the past six hours is Hesperide?” mused Day, tapping absentmindedly at the windowsill. “If what Little One said about the Evening Team leaving first is true, shouldn’t we have seen all the others in between?”

Aitachi pursed his lips. “Maybe the other teams also sped past Hesperide when they were grazing, and they didn’t notice and so couldn’t take action?”

“Maybe,” said Nine, whose brow had begun to furrow, “but I don’t think Mr. Noah would be _that_ lax. Especially since there aren’t that many cars on this road and all of the 14th Department ones have very obvious vanity license plates.”

“Diluculo and Mane up ahead,” announced Kirr, as if on cue.

The other Reapers’ eyebrows shot up.

“ _Both_ of the teams?” asked Nine, needing clarification because _what were the chances_?

Kirr nodded, looking ahead. “All eight members are outside of their vehicles.”

“I see them, now!” exclaimed Day, whose jaw dropped open at the sight. “Nine-Nine! Nine-Nine—slow down! Let’s see why they’re stopped!”

Nine, who didn’t necessarily want to waste time in oogling at the other teams, obeyed nonetheless and rolled down his window as the Noctu car stopped, with the engine running, in front of the field where the Dawn and Morning Teams were meandering about.

Quincy did _not_ look happy to see them. “Oh, great—it’s Doggo and his band of Night Team weirdos!”

Ell’s reception was much more welcoming. “It’s great to see you guys—achoo!”

Day and Aitachi wriggled their way to Nine’s open window and poked their heads outside.

“Hey, everyone! Why are you all stopped?” asked Day.

Aitachi, who had been surveying the area, pointed to Jamie, who was standing a few feet away with Non-Non, chanting, “Come on, lil’ feller, you can do it!” 

“I think, Brother Day, that Mr. Jamie is trying to get Non-Non to relieve himself!” 

“You brought Non-Non with you?” asked Nine incredulously.

Ell blushed. “Mr. Jamie wouldn’t leave without him.”

Kirr also peeked out from Nine’s window. “I too, would not leave without Non-Non if I were him.” The tone he said this was so menacing that even Non-Non could feel a shiver down his spine. 

“Waaaaah, so that solves Mane, but what about you guys, Diluculo!” Day looked a yard in front of him where Verine was pacing with some kind of inhaler at his nose. “Oh no, is Bambi sick?”

“The Whelp is always sick, Doggo,” spat Quincy. “And if he doesn’t get out of the car every hour for thirty minutes to get his stupid fresh air, then he gets even sicker!”

Youssef cleared his throat apologetically. “What Quincy is _trying_ to say is that Verine can’t stay cooped up in the car for very long so we’ve had to take a lot of breaks. It’s only by chance that we met the Morning Team here.”

“If you’ve needed to make so many stops, how come you’re already only an hour away from the Purification Plains?” Nine had to ask.

The eldest Soul Reaper flushed and looked away. “Mori … may have found that even though Route Fifteen doesn’t lead to the retreat location, it _does_ merge into Route Fourteen quite aways down and in that span, manages to complete the same distance in only half the time.”

“Yeah, but Route Fifteen is shady as hell, so because of _him_ ,” Quincy whirled around to point a finger at Mori, who looked unperturbed at the accusation, “we almost got robbed seventeen times when we were taking the Whelp on his walks!” He kicked the ground. “And it doesn’t help that the dumb Morning Team decided to stop exactly where we did!”

“Speaking of the Morning Team,” Aitachi said, curling his fists angrily. “Where are Mr. Licht and Mr. Ghilley? I have many things I want to say to Mr. Licht for giving me that demeaning hat!”

“They’re both in the car, I think,” admitted Ell. “And I’m sorry about Mr. Licht—he means well—achoo!”

Nine realized that unlike Diluculo, who had come through a different path, Mane must have stayed on Route Fourteen, and considering that they were ahead of Hesperide, must have found a way to avoid the Evening Team’s detection when they rested by the fruit trees.

“How were you able to get past Hesperide?” asked Nine. “Surely if you went past them, they would have seen your car and drove ahead.”

Jamie, who was still trying to coax Non-Non into taking a bathroom break, called over, “Aw, Ghilley said that we should cover our license plates to confuse y’all.”

“Waaaaaaaah, isn’t that illegal?” asked Day, who didn’t realize that his team had no right to question Mane’s actions, as they themselves had done some unsavory things in order to win.

Ell’s blush deepened. “O—oh, is it? We had no idea—achoo! Achoo!”

“While it is entertaining to hear of your exploits,” cut in Kirr, though not unkindly, “we of the Night Team must get moving, for we still have an hour yet to travel.”

Aitachi nodded. “Brother Kirr is right! We wish Diluculo the best of luck!” He pointedly left out wishing well to Mane because _dishonor_!

“Bye-bye!” chirped Day, as Nine bade farewell to the other two teams and rolled the window back up. 

“That means the only team we have yet to meet is Die,” concluded Nine as they continued their drive down Route Fourteen. 

Day gulped. “And scary King Ethan is on that team!”

“Brother Day, do not be afraid of Mr. Ethan! We will most certainly beat him and the rest of Die!” assured Aitachi, although, he, along with the rest of the Night Team, could hardly fathom a scenario where the pretentious, but diligent Soul Reaper _didn’t_ demand an absolute victory from his team.

* * *

**Hour 8**

“We’re almost there!” sang Day. While he was busy playing Pictionary with Aitachi in the fog that formed from his breath on the window, he had still been keeping track of the time that had passed.

“And we’ve still seen no sign of the intrepid Day Team,” Kirr noted.

Aitachi looked away from his and Day’s game to nervously offer, “What if they’re already at the Plains?”

“They _can’t_ be,” affirmed Nine, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. He was _not_ going to give up a month free from cleaning shifts to someone as snobby as _Mr. Ethan_.

Kirr looked calm as he said, “Do not worry, Aitachi. The members of Team Die are sneaky, but fast and strong, like foxes—and you remember how much fun we had the last time we hunted foxes.”

“Kirr-Kirr and Tachi-Tachi hunted foxes? That’s so cool!” Day exclaimed. “Next time, take me too, please!” He looked ahead and brightened. “Hey, hey, that sign says ‘Welcome to the Purification Plains!’”

And indeed it did. Several yards in front of them was a huge archway with a sign marked just as Day had said. Below it was a clearly defined, checkered finish line.

Suddenly, they heard an engine revving behind them and everyone besides Nine, who was driving, whirled around to see who the new car was.

Aitachi’s jaw dropped. “Is that the Day Team?” 

The license plate on the front of the car proved it plainly, for it indeed, had “DIE” written on it, and the words were becoming clearer and clearer as the vehicle whizzed toward them at speeds that _none_ of the decrepit 14th Department cars could even _dream_ of moving at. 

Nine made the connection when he saw the plume of smoke and flames that the Day Team car left in its wake. “Mr. June’s using his fireballs and blowing through all their fuel at once to move the car as fast as possible!”

“They were tailing us—” realized Kirr, running a hand through his hair in desperation, “waiting for the right moment in which to launch their true speed! How could I have been so foolish as to not see this coming? Ethan is a crafty foe, indeed.”

Aitachi tried to keep the panic out of his voice to console his friend by saying, “Do not think it your fault, Brother Kirr. I’m sure Mr. Ethan purposely kept his car far enough that _you_ couldn’t see what _he_ was doing, but so that _he_ could see _us_.”

“He probably saw us switch the signs on Hesperide, too,” recognized Nine. However, he couldn’t dwell on that now, as the Day Team’s car was now right up next to them and was speeding past. 

Suddenly, Day was struck with an idea as he watched the golden smoke that depicted June’s handiwork from the tailpipe of Die's car. “I have an idea!”

“Say it, Brother Day! We’ll take anything!” exclaimed Aitachi, watching Die race closer and closer to the entrance to the Purification Plains. 

Day nodded. “Let’s all draw our weapons and throw them at the car’s wheels on my count!”

Aitachi and Kirr bobbed their heads in agreement, but Nine stared at Day carefully. “Are you sure about this, Mr. Day? This is rather underhanded for you.”

“I’ll do anything to protect Tachi-Tachi’s honor,” assured Day, with not even a slight waver in his voice. He drew his weapon and signaled for the others to do the same. “On my mark, ready … set … go!” He exclaimed the last syllable when he saw that the Day Team was fifteen feet in front of the entrance.

All of Noctu rolled down their windows and released their weapons at the word and every one of them hit true on the mark of one of the other car’s wheels. As the Day Team’s tires blew out, the Night Team’s car sped past Ethan’s enraged face, but they had gotten no more than five feet ahead before one of their own tires popped.

“Oh, no, King Ethan retaliated!” cried Day, referring to the lone sword that had pierced their car’s wheels.

However, Ethan’s sword did not have the slowing effect that he had intended, for as soon as Kirr and Aitachi felt the tell-tale loosening of pressure from one of their tires, their instincts and fleetfootedness, honed from years of hunting nimble hares and deer in the forest, took over, and they kicked open the car doors. Before anyone could blink, the pair raced toward the Purification Plains’ entryway arch. 

“Come, Mr. Day, let’s follow them,” ushered Nine the instant the two sprinted out, offering his hand to the tall Soul Reaper. 

Day took it and grinned. “Aye-aye, Nine!”

Ethan, along with the rest of Die, arrived at the entrance just as the last two members of Noctu did. 

“We did it!” cheered Day, huddling all the members of the Night Team into a group hug. “We won!” 

“You _didn’t_ win,” began Ethan, his eye twitching in irritation. “You _can’t_ win if your _vehicle_ didn’t cross the entry point.” He grit his teeth. “Now since neither of ours can make it across, the winners will either be Mane, Hesperide, or Diluculo.”

“That’s not necessarily the case,” said the Manager, who seemed to materialize from behind the Purification Plains' archway entrance. She beamed at the two teams. “The rules were that whichever team arrives at the Purification Plains first would win. And since Kirr and Aitachi are both of the Night Team, Noctu wins!”

Ethan’s frown—which had momentarily disappeared at the sight of the Manager—deepened. “But ma’am—they played unfairly.”

The Manager bit her lips. “Technically, Sei Housemaster, Nyang Lead Manager, and I never _said_ that there were parameters on what you could and couldn’t do to win, so while I don’t _condone_ their actions—and yours, _too_ , Ethan, I saw you throw your sword at their tire, as well—I think in terms of this competition, it’s okay.” She turned to look sternly at the members of the Night Team. “But I expect you four to pay for the damages you caused to the Day Team’s car.” She cleared her throat. “And to the sign.”

Day’s eyes widened. “You know about that, boss?”

The Manager only laughed and took out from her pocket four pink slips of paper and handed them to the members of Noctu. “I award these coupons, which serve as passes from cleaning shifts for one month, to the Night Team!”

The group of four held their tickets up to the sky and cheered, and Nine had to admit, although his motivation for this road trip initially had been for these passes alone, he now considered them just a sweet, _sweet_ bonus for the time he had spent bonding with his teammates. 

And on their drive home after the 14th Department Annual Retreat, he scrounged up his courage and poised a finger on the “play” button on the car speaker to share with the rest of Noctu his most prized, secret music composition.

He had hesitated before to show this part of himself.

But after this trip, he was finally ready.

**Author's Note:**

> Um ... hope no one thought I was villainizing Ethan in this story! It wasn't my intention nor was I trying to give off that vibe! Ethan is a ~~scary~~ good boy! (And no, Aitachi and Kirr don't know how to use contractions.)
> 
> **As always, feedback is appreciated!**


End file.
